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I have a friend that is almost 19 Years old, does not pay rent right now because just just graduated high school and is applying for work as im typing this.

She follows the house rules and her parents are letting her stay and have not asked for rent in any way nor have they hinted about it in anyway. But they still treat her as if she is 12 years old, they dont even let her leave more than 100 ft out the front door unless she is in the car with one of them and she feels trapped. She wants to at least visit friends and stuff, but they do not let her;

My question would be, is this legal? I would imagine if she isn't breaking any house rules and she lets them know when she will be back that it would be ok. But the only thing i can think of is that the worst her parents could do is kick her out, which would suck, but i mean, come on now, there has to be some kind of leeway here isn't there?

Asked on 9/11/13, 12:12 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Unless the parents are abusing her it is legal. Parents can set rules for their children to follow, and even when they seem to be overly protective they are legal. Depending upon the cultural background of the family, it may not be as simple as just breaking free and expanding her life. This appears to be a family problem and should be solved by the family.